


The Start of Something New

by wonderfulchaos



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Established Relationship, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-18
Updated: 2017-03-18
Packaged: 2018-10-06 23:22:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10346895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderfulchaos/pseuds/wonderfulchaos
Summary: Some things change, while others stay the same. In the end, Link is grateful for the changes, though.





	

**Author's Note:**

> _“Had we but world enough, and time."_ \- To His Coy Mistress, Andrew Marvell

The coffee was lukewarm by the time Link got around to raising it to his lips. It had taken too long to finish up a report for work and he had been too absorbed in it to notice much outside of his own little bubble. There were worse things than cold coffee; for instance, an angry boss. It took small sacrifices to keep working, surely, but he had been give this opportunity and he wasn’t going to waste it. He owed his boss that much.

It didn’t matter that every time he finished up work here in the evening that his gaze automatically sought out one particular worker. It was a rare indulgence, and he had many other things he could be doing for tomorrow’s sake, but here he would sit and watch, each cold sip harder to swallow than the last. Since the moment he had met that young man, who had started what felt like ages ago now, he had decided there was no other cafe he would rather be in than this one.

By most standards it had been a trivial meeting. The young man with the strange white hair had asked for his name and he had given it, to which he had earned a bright smile and a giggle behind a raised hand as the youth assured him he would have his coffee ready soon. When he had been called, there had been a little message scratched out beneath his name: “Hey, what are you missing, Link?”

Thinking it had been meant to tease him, he had scowled and left. He did return, eventually, after he thought it over. The thing was, while he had been overthinking the whole thing, the young man had gotten attached to a fellow coworker and it seemed like there was a very unrealistic chance that he would be able to get between that. It was also apparent they bickered like cats and dogs; albeit, there was a chemistry there that Link couldn’t hope to compete with either.

Instead, he had made it his mission to stop by from time to time. To become friends with the individual that had caught his fleeting interest. At least, at the time it had seemed fleeting. As of now, he was positive that with each minute spent here he was digging his grave further and further into the ground. It hurt to see a coexisting couple like that in front of him, out of his reach. A relationship of that sort was one indulgence he couldn’t begin to consider. It had to be enough to watch from afar.

He couldn’t begin to imagine what it would be like to casually touch someone like that and to exchange secret smiles, hidden behind barbed words and a tension in the air that had their fellow coworkers complaining every now and again. “Get a room,” being the one that far exceeded the others. It was no wonder the young man had fallen for his associate, though. With that long, dark hair tied back in a ponytail to reveal a delicate, doll-like face, the man certainly had the looks. His outward personality might have left some things to be desired, but Link liked to assume there was more under the surface there. A trick from his own youth where friendships were as shallow as the depths he was willing to venture in. He could count the number of close friends he had on one hand.

When he was done with his coffee for the day, he got up to throw the cup away and then wandered back to retrieve his laptop, slipping it into its case and slinging the strap over his shoulder. Another day gone, and plenty more to look forward to - if only for the fleeting moments of indulgence spent in this warm, inviting atmosphere. He almost didn’t want to leave, lingering for seconds he usually wouldn’t allow.

“Sit down,” a gruff voice ordered, startling him. Glancing over his shoulder, his eyebrows shot up to meet his bangs. A confrontation by the very person that had beat him to something Link hadn’t even known he wanted, and yet there wasn’t anything to do but shake his head and start to walk away. Unfortunately, the man grabbed his arm and halted his progress, shoving a steaming paper cup a little too close to his face. “Here, it’s on the house. Now, sit down,” the man repeated, taking a seat pointedly on the opposite side of the table.

Deciding to humor him, Link shrugged off the black case on his shoulder and let it plop gently to the floor. “What may I do for you?” There really wasn’t a need for this confrontation. He had no intentions of pursuing anything with this man’s partner - or was there a more politically correct term he should be using? He wasn’t sure and that made him uncomfortable.

“First,” started the man, “your name’s Link, right?”

“Yes?” Out of habit, he drummed his fingers on the table, and then eventually picked up the coffee that had been offered out to him. It was the polite thing to do, he supposed, and it kept his hands busy. “Is something wrong?”

Grimacing, the man leaned back in his seat. “You could say that. The beansprout won’t shut up about you.”

“Huh?” It wasn’t like he was unaware what this man called his partner, but he didn’t know how to process that last bit of information. They talked about him - and that seemed like a far off dream that he wasn’t at all aware he had buried in the lurking abyss of his mind. “What do you mean?”

In a falsetto, the man imitated his partner, “Oh, why can’t you be more like that businessman - you know the one, Link? He seems so sweet. Unlike you, Bakanda!” It was most definitely an exaggeration. Link could admit that much, at least, since he was partial to doing the same thing in regards to the young man. That first giggle on that day so long ago was probably more of a snicker than anything, and he had probably been right to take offense, but now - there was something there that kept him coming back. He didn’t have a name for it yet, but there was something there.

“That’s flattering,” admitted Link with a noticeable flush to face, “but I am afraid I would have to disappoint him.”

With a roll of the eyes, the man in front of him - he eyed the name tag and it was Kanda, not Bakanda - held out a hand with an all-consuming frown that made the gesture seem vaguely threatening. “Look, I’m here to meet you and judge for myself. Let’s pretend we’re getting along for now.”

“You want me to … pretend?” Confused, he accepted the hand and gave it a shake. “All right. I’m Howard Link.”

“Yu Kanda,” returned the man, a tiny dip of his head marking an acknowledgement, “and with that out of the way, I’ll get to the point: the beansprout has a thing for you.” Link tried not to choke on his coffee. “The real question is … how open are you to relationships with more than one person?”

“I don’t -” Link spluttered and retrieved a handkerchief from his pocket. “I don’t entertain the idea of any relationship!” Best to be honest; it wouldn’t benefit him to get involved with anyone for the long haul.

Considering that, Kanda crossed his arms and glared at nothing in particular. “Boring,” decided Kanda, “what does the beansprout see in you?”

“Potential,” a new voice answered smugly, and suddenly arms were wrapped around Kanda’s neck, squeezing in warning. “Be nice. Hi,” tone changing to shy, the newcomer asked, “you wouldn’t be willing to try just one date?”

It was the young man that had caught his interest by doing nothing more than existing. Unfair of him to show up now. He took a large gulp from his coffee, scalding his tongue in the process, and it gave him a valid excuse to delay speaking for awhile. It wasn’t nearly enough time to come up with anything to say, and in the end, he settled for, “I suppose I would not be adverse to the idea.” Just one - and he had a feeling that would be the last notch in the coffin he was lowering into the grave,which had long since been dug.

Surely it wasn’t his imagination that the smile he saw next was crafty in its origins. Though the way it made the young man’s eyes sparkle, cast a shadow on the scar under his left eye, and seemed so inherently happy, it was enough to make Link think he had made the correct choice. Perhaps all indulgences weren’t bad and he could get away with sparing some time for this one.

“Great! My name’s Allen Walker, by the way,” the young man finally introduced himself, holding out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Link.” Then he winked and told him, “I guess you’re not a missing Link anymore.”

Groaning at the pun, Link covered up his face with one hand and shook hands with the other as he muttered, “You have no idea how many times I have heard that horrible joke. Stop, or I will regret my decision in its entirety.”

Laughing, Allen promised, “Sure, of course. I’m positive we have a lot of other things in common.” Lighting up at the prospect, Allen insisted, “I noticed you have a sweet tooth. You have to try the key lime pie here sometime, it’s to die for and you could even go to heaven if you ate enough of it.”

Kanda gave a snort in reply, but he didn’t seem to mind being used as a leaning post while the other two made small talk. It spoke for itself that Link felt comfortable enough to continue speaking in front of both of them without the prospect of work being his guiding light. A nice feeling that he was looking forward to experiencing again come Saturday, the day they had arranged for the actual 'date’.

Once he had finished his coffee, a warm cup for a change, he made his way home with a light bounce to his steps. It felt like he could take off flying, and the discovery that he wanted to do just that was both terrifying and satisfying. To have wings and fly where he wanted, that was a freedom he hadn’t indulged in since youth.

Perhaps it was time to try again.


End file.
